Recruit black physique to start practice in wasteland

Chapter 2439 Life and Death Game
This is... Qu Jianlei was completely stumped. He really is the type of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.

I still prefer your previous unruly self! Looking at the True Venerable Qing Ning in front of him, he sighed helplessly.

"I'm a little curious, how could you think that my Red Leaf Ridge is lacking... lacking a True Venerable?"

Red Leaf Ridge is indeed lacking in True Venerables, and he asked this question with a bit of uncertainty, but... it is not lacking in True Venerables!

Why should he trust this so-called true venerable one who defected halfway through his life? Does he really think that the other person has lived for over four thousand years in vain?
He could choose to unconditionally trust the obsessions of the heroic spirits within the ritual vessels, but as for others? Forget about it.

Is a vow of faith in the Dao really that trustworthy? Qu Jianlei doesn't completely trust it.

The Great Dao has fifty heavens and forty-nine heavens, yet one still escapes. Why should it test human nature?
As he asked the question, he also glanced at the ascetic not far away.

Is it really appropriate to openly form cliques in front of the head of the Lingyun Sect?

The Hundred Bridges clone watched this scene indifferently, without saying a word.

“We don’t lack True Venerables…” Qing Ning was taken aback at first, remained silent for a few seconds, shook her head helplessly, and then gave a bitter smile.

"Hey, I never thought I'd have a day when I'm left with nowhere to turn. Why is that?"

He genuinely didn't understand. Logically speaking, no force in the Houde Realm could refuse the allegiance of a True Venerable.

In Cangwu, not every major power accepts Nascent Soul cultivators as allies; it requires a two-way selection process because there are simply too many Nascent Soul cultivators!

In Houde, there are not too few Astral Spirits, but they are definitely not many.

For example, Min Ning sought refuge with the top-tier Lingyun Sect, which even provided him with spiritual veins and helped him build his Daoist temple.

People like Wenxian would rather work hard to set up formations for others and make profits than not live a carefree, unrestrained life.

Qing Ning is a True Venerable from the outside world. Because she has no connection with this world, she has been favored by many powerful forces.

Over the past two thousand years, he has refused countless invitations from various powers, with each offer becoming more and more generous than the last.

It was only in the last six or seven hundred years that he protected his family's spiritual veins, and the number of cultivators under his command increased day by day, that such invitations gradually decreased.

Now that he wanted to seek refuge with Red Leaf Ridge, he was actually rejected by them. He felt ashamed and found it hard to believe.

Qu Jianlei replied calmly, "I've already said it, everyone in the team is a brother or sister, there are no pioneers!"

"That's utter nonsense!" Jin Ge's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was thinking: "Whether it's Qi Ya or Dai Wanwan, aren't they your servants?"

Ultimately, Xiao Qu dislikes factors that she cannot fully control, but this perspective is indeed understandable.

Upon hearing this, True Venerable Qingning glanced at the ascetic and asked, "Are you worried about being targeted by Ling Yun?"

Baiqiao's clone shook his head slightly and replied expressionlessly, "Lingyun isn't lacking in such magnanimity!"

“I knew it would be like this,” Qing Ning nodded. “With Ling Yun’s strength, the power of two or three True Venerables is indeed not enough.”

But I hope all team members can break through to the Out-of-Body stage! Qu Jianlei suddenly found another reason: We really can't just accept True Venerables!
Ling Yun might be able to tolerate a force with two or three True Venerables, but what if there were five or six True Venerables?
When his dominant position is threatened, no one knows what Ling Yun might do!
Qu Jianlei didn't want to think about this issue. He said indifferently, "Let's talk about the matter of you blocking my mountain gate first."

Upon hearing this, Qing Ning couldn't help but mutter, "Once you accept my allegiance, Your Majesty can use that fifth-order spiritual vein at will!"

Of course, it's just for casual use; ownership definitely remains with Qingning.

The Houde Realm is quite careful to protect the private property of cultivators, and this is especially true for True Venerables who have come to rely on them.

But Qu Jianlei became a little impatient upon hearing this. "I've already said that I don't accept anyone seeking refuge, and I don't want Ling Yun to misunderstand!"

This had to be said to Baiqiao: "My team has never had any ambition to dominate!"

“I believe that,” the ascetic suddenly spoke up, “and I’m not blind to what Red Leaf Ridge has done in Cangwu!”

This is a very positive affirmation; Hyakuhashi's ability to handle daily affairs is truly adept.

However, Qu Jianlei wouldn't just listen and let it go; he felt it was necessary to show the appropriate attitude.

He stated in a serious tone, "Our team has no interest in internal strife. Even when I leave my body, I choose another world as my source of sustenance!"

This example is very persuasive, but Baiqiao's clone sighed softly upon hearing it.

"As expected, this is the way the Haoran Sect does it... They only take supplies from outsiders!"

"What strange things are you imagining?" Qu Jianlei looked at him speechlessly. "Great Master, you may have misunderstood."

“No need to call me Great Venerable, I am just a fellow Daoist,” the ascetic waved his hand, “Whether there is a misunderstanding or not, I know better than you.”

"Rest assured, Qu Zhenzun, as long as your team maintains the style of operation in Cangwu, I, on behalf of Lingyun, would strongly support you!"

"Thank you very much then," Qu Jianlei said first, not bothering to figure out whether the other party was telling the truth or not.

Then he looked at Qing Ning Zhen Zun, "I don't want to get involved in the messy things outside. Let's talk about one thing at a time... First, let's talk about compensation!"

“Compensation… I’ll publicly apologize in Cangwu,” Qing Ning was truly ruthless, “I guarantee the entire Cangwu will hear it, is that enough?”

His initiative to block the mountain gate was indeed going too far, but if he could really do that, he would save face for Red Leaf Ridge.

As for himself... the Great Venerable One has completely lost face.

However, Qing Ning didn't care. Cangwu was just a lower realm, and it wasn't easy for news to reach the upper realm.

And since we've made a mistake, admitting it isn't a big deal. The real issue is that we really can't afford to pay compensation.

“Not enough,” Qu Jianlei shook his head and said calmly, “Some things were also damaged, and some people were injured.”

There were no major clashes between the two sides, but given the tense atmosphere, there were quite a few minor skirmishes.

Looking at the overall conflict, Qingning's people were actually at a disadvantage, with one Nascent Soul cultivator and two Golden Core cultivators, and their foundations were even damaged.

The main issue involves Red Leaf Ridge, and at least one-third of the Nascent Soul cultivators from Cangwu have come over.

Cultivators in the upper realm may be stronger in terms of cultivation techniques or magical treasures, but in terms of numbers, the difference is like heaven and earth.

In other words, if the Cangwu cultivators were able to withstand the Tiger-Man Grandmaster back then, it wouldn't be impossible for them to withstand the Qingning cultivators if they were to truly go berserk.

However, if it really escalates to that extent, it would be quite a big news story even within the world of morality.

The people from Qingning suffered a loss, and now they not only have to apologize but also compensate Cangwu for its losses... It feels a bit...unpleasant.

However, Venerable Qingning nodded readily, "No problem, ten Extreme Spirit Stones, is that enough?"

Both were at the True Venerable level, and the losses on both sides could be roughly calculated with a single thought.

The losses suffered by Qingning people, not counting their own losses, inflicted on Cangwu... amounted to only about four Extreme Spirit Stones, from items to cultivators.

He offered double the price as a gesture of apology for causing trouble.

Qu Jianlei nodded slightly upon hearing this. He couldn't say anything more. The compensation from the other party wasn't much, but it was enough to show basic courtesy.

In other words, if they weren't genuinely admitting defeat, they wouldn't have avoided mentioning their own losses.

Seeing him nod, True Venerable Qingning breathed a slight sigh of relief... at least this debt was settled!

To be honest, he didn't care about saving face or making a fool of himself; all he wanted was to settle the matter and get to the point as soon as possible.

"Thank you for your understanding, Venerable Qu. Now, may we discuss the transaction for the Out-of-Body Technique?"

Qu Jianlei slowly shook his head upon hearing this, "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in talking... I never agreed to talk!"

Qing Ning Zhenzun narrowed his eyes, and the muscles on his face twitched twice.

For a True Being who has transcended the physical body, the fact that they cannot control such an instinctive bodily reaction indicates that they are truly on the verge of losing control.

"So, my apology... feels like His Excellency just wants to see me make a fool of myself?"

"I don't even know you," Qu Jianlei said calmly. "Does watching you make a fool of yourself help me improve my cultivation?"

The other party has their own logic, but he will never follow their lead. "Why should I trade you the secrets of achieving spiritual breakthrough?"

"I want to trade your fifth-tier spiritual vein, but I can't afford the payment yet... Will you sell it?"

Qing Ning Zhenzun paused for a moment before smiling and nodding, "Indeed, I was presumptuous."

"So after I apologize and pay the spirit stones, I can leave, right?"

He said it calmly, and at first glance there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, but deep down there was a strong sense of threat!
He failed to achieve his ultimate goal, and now he doesn't even mention it anymore. The implications... you have to think about it carefully!
Qu Jianlei was quite helpless in this situation, and he bluntly asked, "Is this a sign of holding a grudge?"

"I find it strange that whether I want to trade my own things or not is my business."

"You tried to force a deal but failed, and now you hate me and want to secretly take revenge on Red Leaf Ridge... You think you're in the right?"

“No,” Venerable Qingning shook his head, “Since Your Excellency is unwilling to make a deal, I choose to leave. Is that alright?”

"Something's wrong with you!" Qu Jianlei smiled slightly. "I've changed my mind. Let's take a gamble. It's a life-or-death situation. If you win..."

In his view, the other party's actions were too unpredictable; they would ask for help, seek refuge, or apologize at will.

However, all of these are understandable, but the idea of ​​giving up so easily is clearly not the case.

At this moment, he truly had the intention to kill. Rather than being held in the wrath of a True Venerable, why not end it all once and for all?
Then let's take advantage of Baiqiao's presence as a witness and start a life-or-death battle.

Qu Jianlei didn't think he was getting arrogant. In a life-or-death battle between True Venerables, it was hard to say who would win or lose.

Even someone as strong as Han Li could be defeated by Jin Ge if he's not careful once a life-or-death situation begins; the element of chance is just too great.

However, he wouldn't underestimate Qing Ning. He certainly had a lot of trump cards up his sleeve, but could a veteran True Venerable like her be lacking in trump cards?
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